Regarded as ‘one of the most prominent ensembles in the United States practicing truly experimental music’ (I Care If You Listen), TAK is a mixed quintet dedicated to new works by young and adventurous composers. In this concert they play two pieces by nominees for the Gaudeamus Award 2026, Tytti Arola and Rodrigo Pascale.
Pascale’s …stilted time sands… draws upon the structure and fragments of John Dowland’s Time Stands Still, reimagining and reordering them in a contemporary context with an instrumentation of soprano, guitar, and electronics. Arola’s Helmi is an ode to love and friendship. The flute is bursting with excitement in its fast passages, a snowplow has been transformed into a groovy synth, and the plucking of a piano frame imitates particles of ice and pearls.
